Summary & Overview
HCPCS K1005: Disposable Breast Milk Collection and Storage Bag
HCPCS Level II code K1005 identifies a disposable collection and storage bag for breast milk, any size and type, billed per each unit. This supply supports lactation, neonatal feeding plans, and outpatient postpartum care, with national relevance given rising emphasis on breastfeeding support and home-based infant nutrition. Coverage and payment for K1005 affect access to safe storage solutions for expressed human milk across payer models.
Key payers in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise overview of coverage considerations across major payers, typical sites of service where K1005 is used, and the clinical context linking the supply to lactation support and neonatal care. The publication outlines common billing practices, relevant modifiers when applicable, and indicates where input data is unavailable.
This piece does not provide clinical recommendations. It serves as a national reference on the purpose of HCPCS Level II code K1005, practical settings for its use, and the payer landscape readers can expect when billing for disposable breast milk collection and storage bags.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code K1005 denotes a disposable collection and storage bag for breast milk, any size, any type, each. This supply is classified as durable medical equipment/supply used to collect, store, and transport expressed human breast milk.
Service type: Durable medical supply for breast milk collection and storage
Typical site of service: Home or outpatient settings where expressed breast milk is collected and stored (including lactation clinics and maternal-child health programs)
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A lactating patient collects expressed breast milk into single-use disposable milk storage bags K1005 for storage and transport. Common settings include postpartum inpatient units, outpatient lactation clinics, neonatal intensive care units (NICU), and home health nursing visits where pumped milk is provided for direct feeding or donor storage. The clinical workflow: a clinician or lactation consultant educates the patient on hand hygiene and pump cleaning, provides or documents issuance of sterile disposable milk storage bags K1005, labels each bag with patient identifiers and date/time, and instructs on refrigeration/freezing and thawing protocols. In NICU scenarios, nursing documents receipt of labeled K1005 bags from the mother, verifies patient-match at bedside prior to feeding, and records volume and fortification details. For donor milk programs, staff inspect sealed K1005 bags for integrity and temperature logs during transport to milk bank processing.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
22 | Increased procedural services |